Wang Yanfei held the human skin in his hands, and the more he looked, the more "usable" it seemed.
It was just a thin layer, yet it kept the shape of a human body perfectly. He could see the shoulder line, the outline of the rib cage, even the bend of the knee joints.
It was clearly just skin, but it looked almost like a thinned-out leather suit.
"…Honestly, can this thing be worn?"
He asked with complete seriousness.
Alvina was lying on his shoulder, her tail draped over the back of his neck. When she heard that sentence, she froze like she had been turned to stone.
Then she slowly turned her head to stare at him.
"…Human, is your brain broken?"
Wang Yanfei: "No. I just want to try it."
"You better not." Alvina sighed. "Your Sanity is already in a dangerous range."
Wang Yanfei: "…"
He wasn't listening at all. He squatted down and spread the skin open.
The inside was completely hollow. The more he looked, the more it resembled one of those "full-body sleeping bags" you see in malls, practically inviting someone to climb inside and nap.
He licked his lips.
"In theory… if I put this on, I should be able to enter the city, right? I've got the ID card, too."
Alvina flicked her tongue lightly.
"…Human, do you think you're still normal? Normal people don't think about climbing into someone else's skin."
"I literally watched a snake talk. Do you think I'm normal?"
Alvina: "…Fair."
She paused for three seconds, then said with suspicious sincerity:
"Then good luck. I'll watch from the side."
Wang Yanfei: "???"
Why did your attitude change that fast?
But he had no time to care about the snake's strange thought process.
He flipped the skin so the "opening" faced upward, took a deep breath, lifted one leg, and aimed at the "mouth" of the skin.
The moment his foot slid in, a strange sensation, comforting yet disturbing ran from his ankle all the way up his spine.
Wang Yanfei sucked in a breath. "Damn… that feels weirdly good."
Alvina: "…Do you have some strange kinks I should know about?"
"Speak less, snake."
"…"
He slid his other leg in.
The skin tightened like a living thing, snapping snugly around both legs, wrapping up along his calves, sealing tightly.
He pulled upward.
The entire skin shot up with a smooth swish, climbing over his thighs, waist, abdomen, and chest, wrapping him completely from foot to neck in seconds.
Then—
Creak. Crackle. Pop.
A series of bone-adjusting sounds echoed from deep inside his body.
His field of vision abruptly dropped. His torso bulged with a tiny layer of belly fat. A small, unhealthy curve appeared where his lower abdomen used to be flat.
He moved his hands and feet slightly. The joints still worked fine, just… everything felt wrong.
He took a deep breath and pulled the last "head layer" up over his own head—
The next instant, his entire face began to writhe subtly. When everything settled, he reached up and touched his chin. Rough stubble pricked his palm.
"…Oh hell."
He froze. The voice that slipped out wasn't his own anymore—it was that middle-aged man's slightly raspy voice.
Alvina circled him once, carefully inspecting, then nodded.
"At least you can enter the city now."
"Yeah."
Wang Yanfei looked up toward where the city walls should be.
The cloudy sky hung low. Wind rustled through the forest, carrying a gloomy chill.
He lowered his gaze to his new "skin" and felt an odd discomfort.
"…Just think of it as your revenge reward," he muttered softly, inexplicably solemn.
The man couldn't answer anymore, and Wang Yanfei wasn't sure who exactly he was comforting.
But saying it out loud did make him feel steadier.
Next was preparing to enter the city.
He looked down at this "borrowed body," touched the blue ID card tucked into the jacket, made sure it was secure, then zipped the jacket to the top, covering himself completely.
When he returned to the cave, the fire was almost out, only faint embers flickering with the last bit of warmth.
He crouched down and picked up the scattered cans one by one, stuffing them into his backpack.
Alvina hung around his neck again, looking like a strange white scarf wrapped around a "middle-aged man."
"Let's go, human. Next step—"
"Enter the city."
———————
The massive wall cut across the world like a huge shadow splitting heaven and earth.
Up close, it looked like an entire mountain range forged of metal—layer after layer of rivets, steel beams, and surveillance devices.
Behind the wall, blurred silhouettes of skyscrapers occasionally flickered past, mostly swallowed by thick smog.
The sky was pressed low.
A burnt smell mixed with metal filled the air.
From deep inside the city, black smoke continuously billowed upward like a giant furnace that never stopped burning.
And now, he was standing in line nearly one kilometer from an outer watchtower.
The line was long. He was almost at the front when the person ahead of him was stopped by several soldiers.
The soldiers wore black exoskeleton armor with a golden bird emblem on their chests. Blue light pulsed across the armor surface, full of futuristic style.
One soldier aimed a strange, high-tech gun at the man's chest, never lowering it.
Shivering, the man quickly pulled out a small golden card.
The soldier took the card, frowned, flipped it several times, then pulled out a thin tablet and scanned him.
A low hum swept the man from head to toe in blue light.
After checking carefully, the soldier finally nodded coldly, indicating no problems.
The next moment, another soldier shoved the man aside roughly, herding him toward a side passage like livestock.
Then it was Wang Yanfei's turn.
He took a deep breath and handed over the blue ID card.
The soldier's eyes widened slightly. His previously lazy posture straightened instantly.
"Engineer Benjamin, welcome back."
Wang Yanfei: "…"
What could he say?
"Sir, you're mistaken. I'm actually a fraud wearing someone else's skin"? He'd get shot on the spot.
So he kept a straight face and simply nodded.
The soldier returned the card respectfully and motioned for him to pass.
As he walked away, the people in line all kept blank expressions. Some even stepped back instinctively.
They seemed completely used to this. As if this was just another ordinary day.
Wang Yanfei held the card, feeling oddly disconnected from reality.
Just as he left the checkpoint, a small white snake head poked out from his collar.
Alvina looked around eagerly, her golden eyes bright with excitement.
"Human, there are so many people here! It feels… lively!"
Wang Yanfei immediately shoved her back in.
"Don't move. You're my 'accessory' right now. Understand?"
Alvina grumbled quietly, "Hmph. I am a noble—"
"Shh!"
He didn't have time to argue.
This area wasn't directly inside the city; it was probably some kind of staging point. Buildings were mostly wood or steel, with visible welding marks everywhere—a wasteland vibe.
Strong, rough-looking men walked the streets, their clothes torn and expressions fierce. Yet whenever they saw "Engineer Benjamin," they all instinctively moved aside, almost afraid to bump into him.
Wang Yanfei couldn't help thinking:
"…Is my identity really that impressive?"
Alvina poked her head out a tiny bit: "Maybe you just look like someone dangerous?"
"…"
He was debating whether to find a place to gather information when a commotion broke out behind him.
A moment later, a man stumbled toward him.
It was the same guy who had been in line before him.
He hugged a worn backpack tightly, and behind him a soldier in exoskeleton armor chased after him.
Following the principle of "Less trouble is better," Wang Yanfei quickly stepped aside.
But the man seemed to have locked onto him and ran directly toward him.
"You—!"
Before he finished—
Bang.
A dull gunshot echoed.
The man's head burst open. Red and white matter sprayed outward, just barely missing Wang Yanfei's jacket.
The metallic smell of blood filled the air instantly.
Wang Yanfei froze.
Footsteps approached behind him.
The armored soldier walked up, nodded politely to him, then picked up the old backpack from the ground and said into his shoulder mic:
"External tax successfully recovered. Mission complete."
Then he turned and left, leaving the headless corpse behind.
Wang Yanfei: "?"
…Is this really how they collect taxes?